Abraham Orellana is still trying to finish up his long-awaited AraabMuzik debut album, Dream World, but it’s not going as quickly as he’d like. Part of the problem is that, unlike many electronic producers, he’s not into collaborating remotely with the guest vocalists he wants to feature.

“Right now everyone is on tour, so I want to catch them when they’re off the road, and when I’m done my tour, too,” Orellana explains from a stop in New York City. “I’m more of a recording-in-the-studio kind of guy. I don’t like sending music over email. I like to be right there with the artist. When I’m there, I can play them the beat live and start messing around with it and chopping it up, and that will give them a whole different effect.”

The live aspect is a big part of his sound, and it sets him apart from most of his contemporaries in EDM and hip-hop. He’s made a name for himself with his skills on Akai MPC samplers, drumming out beats on the trigger pads in real time and using the technology as an instrument. His high-energy shows have made him a big draw on the EDM festival circuit and initially got him stints writing hip-hop beats for rappers like Cam’ron.

“Performing like that was brand new to a lot of people. People weren’t really used to seeing that, and the more video I posted online, the more fans I started attracting. I always make it hard for the next act [to come onstage]. I start out at 100 and go from there.”

When that hip-hop career opened doors for him in the EDM world, he found it surprisingly easy to adapt his style to new rhythms and sounds. To him, it was just a matter of paying attention to the constantly shifting trends of the mainstream dance world. He doesn’t mind doing what’s necessary to fit in.

“I was learning as I went along and watching what other DJs were playing and how they controlled the crowd. Right now in the industry, everyone has to sound like everyone else. You have to blend in.”